Herbarium

There are sweet herbs and bitter herbs. There are tall and short varieties. Some herbs taste like lemon, while others have flavors of onion or licorice. Some can heal wounds, and a handful can even be deadly. In her exceptionally illustrated herbarium, Caz Hildebrand presents one hundred different types of herbs and provides practical tips on how to best cultivate them, which dishes they complement, and what ailments they can help with. Additionally, she shares their historical, cultural, and medicinal backgrounds, as well as their effects and symbolism - for example, that lily of the valley is associated with chastity and purity, which is why it is often found in bridal bouquets, that eyebright was considered a panacea for eye problems as early as the 14th century, that chervil was recommended for sharpening the mind, and that yarrow branches were used in the 19th century.